Unexpected Help
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Harry must save Dudley's life with a blood transfusion that has far reaching consequences. Set in Harry's third and fourth year; completely AU, mentioning abuse!Dursleys. Main characters: Harry, Dudley, Professor Snape.


**Unexpected Help  
****by Healer Pomfrey**

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._

_I am not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes_

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Harry slowly climbed up the stairs to his dormitory, trying his best to ignore his friends' concerned looks upon his announcement that he was going to bed thirty minutes before curfew. '_I know that I haven't finished my Transfiguration homework, but somehow I don't feel good tonight. I'll just get up early in the morning_,' he mused as he let his book bag sink to the floor and scrambled into bed, not even bothering to take his robes off.

'_Why does my back feel so worse today?_' he wondered. '_It's already a few days ago that Uncle Vernon used his belt on me_.'

Due to the fact that Sirius Black had managed to enter Hogwarts on Halloween, Headmaster Dumbledore had decided that it would be safer for Harry to go back to the Dursleys' for Christmas. Harry had had to spend the whole winter holidays on Privet Drive, a fact that neither the boy nor his relatives had taken well. On the evening before his return to Hogwarts three days ago, he had had a huge fight with his uncle and had been very sore ever since then. However, on this evening, his back did not only ache, but he felt hot and cold at the same time, and everything including his friends' voices seemed strangely far away.

Harry sighed in relief as his achy head came to lie down on the pillow. He closed his eyes and soon drifted off into a light slumber that soon became accompanied by dreams. Suddenly, he found himself in the Transfiguration classroom. '_Oh no; I forgot to get up early and do my homework_,' he realised, terrified, when Professor McGonagall's voice penetrated his ears.

"Mr. Potter, how dare you do not your homework? Where do you think you are?" his Head of House asked strictly, causing Harry to shiver violently.

"He wanted to do it in the morning because he was too tired," Hermione kindly informed the teacher, and Harry moaned his confirmation.

However, the professor seemed not contented with the explanation and began to lightly shake his shoulder, and Harry jerked awake.

"Pfessor," he mumbled drowsily.

"Mr. Potter, I'm sorry to disturb you, but Professor Dumbledore urgently wants to speak with you," McGonagall informed him, looking at him with clear displeasure upon noticing that he was still wearing his robes.

Harry hurried to follow his Head of House out of the dormitory as fast as he could in spite of the fact that he felt slightly dizzy and his back hurt more with each step.

HP

The Headmaster was awaiting his arrival, engrossed in a conversation with Professor Snape. However, both wizards looked up immediately when he entered the room together with Professor McGonagall.

"Harry, how nice of you to join us on this fine evening," Dumbledore said pleasantly, offering the boy a lemon drop.

"No thank you, sir," Harry said wearily, gratefully letting himself sink into the offered seat.

"Harry, I just received a letter from your aunt," Dumbledore spoke up in a grave voice, causing Harry to look at the old wizard in shock as his thoughts went haywire.

'_Do I need to go back there? Why can't they leave me in peace? Hogwarts is my home now..._' He was brought back to reality when the Headmaster continued, "Your cousin had an accident at his school and was dangerously injured. Unfortunately, his parents' and his aunt's blood is not compatible, and his only chance to survive his critical condition would be a blood transfusion from you, provided that your blood is compatible."

"But why would..." Harry stammered and trailed off when the Potions Master began to speak.

"Due to the magic contained in your blood, it is highly likely that your blood will be compatible with that of your cousin," Snape explained in a voice that for once held no malice. "I do not know if your relatives are aware of the possible side effects, but the main point is to save your cousin's life. If you agree to help your cousin, I will accompany you to the hospital."

'_Why Snape_?' Harry's mind screamed as he cast a help searching look to his Head of House.

"Mr. Potter, Professor Snape is well acquainted with the Muggle world, more than Professor Dumbledore or I, and he knows your aunt," Professor McGonagall explained patiently, apparently having comprehended his silent question. "Therefore, he will accompany you. He will stay with you the whole time and will take you back to Hogwarts right afterwards."

"Okay," Harry wearily agreed and slowly followed the Potions Master out of the room. He gratefully thanked the professor when he transfigured his robes into warm winter clothes, before they headed out onto the grounds.

After quietly walking down to the Apparition point for a few minutes, Snape suddenly spoke up. "I don't know if anyone ever told you this, but I knew both your mother and your aunt well when we were children. We lived in the same neighbourhood and used to play together on the playground; that is until I told your mother that she was a witch. Ever after that your aunt despised both of us for being magical. Your mother and I have been friends for many years, even in spite of being in different Houses at Hogwarts."

Before Harry could stomach the information, they reached the apparition point, and the professor instructed him to firmly hold on to his right arm. An instant later, they found themselves in a garden, '_just beside a huge hospital_,' Harry realised. '_I hope this will be quick_,' he mused, longing for his warm bed in the Gryffindor dormitory. Somehow he felt very grateful to the professor for accompanying him instead of leaving him alone as soon as they had reached the entrance of the hospital. '_He is also very nice tonight_,' he mused as he followed the teacher inside.

HP

Harry had to wait for a few minutes, while Professor Snape spoke with the woman at the information desk. He inwardly sighed in relief when the older wizard motioned him to a bench at the side of the entrance hall. "Someone will come and fetch us," the professor informed him, casting him a sharp look. "Are you feeling all right, Mr. Potter?" he asked in a soft voice that made Harry glance at the man in surprise.

"Of course," he replied in a barely audible voice. "I'm just tired."

"Do you want to go to the restroom and take a Pepperup potion?" Snape enquired, letting his right hand wander into his robe pocket.

"No thank you sir," Harry said quickly, just when Petunia Dursley entered the room.

"Severus, Harry," she said, not overly pleased, but seemingly relieved to see her nephew and her childhood friend. "Please follow me." She led the two wizards to the fourth floor, where her husband was sitting in a corridor, eyeing Harry and the teacher with apparent disgust. "I'll fetch the nurse," she told them and motioned them to sit next to her husband.

Harry and Snape, however, preferred to stand next to each other at the other side of the corridor. "Thank you for remaining here with me, sir," Harry whispered, feeling extremely relieved by the professor's presence.

Snape gave him a small nod in return, impatiently glancing at his wrist watch. Finally, Petunia returned together with a nurse, who led them into an empty room that was equipped with a small bed, a chair and several Muggle machines. Harry anxiously eyed the devices but sighed in relief, when he turned his eyes to the professor, who gave him a comforting nod. He was told to sit on the chair, and the nurse took some blood from his left armpit. Harry could not remember to ever have been taken blood at all, and he kept his eyes turned at the professor, whose blank expression mysteriously managed to calm him. After a few minutes' wait, the nurse returned together with a doctor, who then explained that Harry's blood indeed seemed to be compatible with Dudley Dursley's. Harry completely tuned out the conversation, when the doctor explained something to Petunia and the professor. He was only brought back to reality when Petunia spoke up.

"My nephew is all right. Please take the amount of blood from him that is necessary for Dudley."

"Mr. Potter is very tired though. It is almost eleven o'clock and far beyond bed time for a thirteen-year-old. So please let us get over with it," Professor Snape threw in, his voice laced with a menacing undertone.

Harry felt not only extremely grateful to the professor but was also glad that the older wizard's words were not directed at him. Apparently they had the desired effect, since the nurse motioned him to lie down on the bed and within seconds began to take blood from him through the connection, which she had set up earlier. Nevertheless, it seemed to take an infinite time, and while his blood was still slowly running into what seemed to be an overly large syringe, Harry noticed that the voices began to drift away from him and his surroundings became strangely blurry.

HP

Severus observed how the nurse took a large amount of blood from the small boy. He was still angry about Petunia Dursley's ignorance. When the doctor had suggested taking the blood from the boy in two sessions, the first half now and the second on the following day, Petunia had insisted that they should take the whole amount right away in order to help her own son as quickly as possible. '_And I thought Potter was a spoilt, pampered brat_,' he thought. '_It seems to be the contrary. Petunia completely neglects him. If she raised him properly, she should be able to see that he is absolutely exhausted. He almost looks like a ghost with his white face and dark rings under his eyes. I wonder what is wrong with the boy_.'

His eyes widened, terrified, as he suddenly noticed that Harry seemed to slip away from consciousness. "Stop this immediately," he hissed at the nurse, who was engrossed in a conversation with Petunia and looked at him in surprise. "If you had taken care of Mr. Potter instead of having small talk about his cousin, you would have noticed that Mr. Potter just fainted."

The nurse looked at the boy in shock and hurriedly stopped the blood flow, before she ran out of the room to fetch the doctor.

Casting a menacing glare at Petunia, Severus pulled his wand and waved it at the boy, whispering "Enervate."

HP

Harry's mind slowly turned back to a conscious state. "What happened?" he wondered, unaware that he was voicing his question, when he suddenly felt the professor's cold hand on his forehead.

"Mr. Potter, you fainted, and you seem feverish to me. Are you feeling all right?" Snape asked surprisingly gently, his voice laced with concern.

Before Harry could even ponder the professor's question, the nurse stormed back into the room, followed by the doctor, and the professor quickly stepped out of the way. Harry inwardly groaned in annoyance as the doctor began to ask him questions, looked into his eyes and finally instructed the nurse to check his temperature and blood pressure. He could barely keep himself awake, his ears felt strangely clogged so that he heard all voices like from far away, and he felt utterly miserable. He tuned out the voices, closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

HP

When the doctor and the nurse left, Severus let himself sink on the chair, deep in thoughts. Petunia had already left as soon as the nurse had run for the doctor earlier.

'_I wonder what is ailing the boy_,' he mused. '_There must be a reason for his fever_.' He slowly pulled his wand and cast a diagnostic spell. His eyes widened as he inspected the writing on the small parchment that emerged from the tip of his wand. '_Badly infected cuts on the back_,' he read, astonished. '_How did he get these?_' he wondered when he recalled Petunia's earlier behaviour. '_He is at least neglected, if not abused_,' he thought. Suddenly, he saw another thirteen-year-old boy in front of his mind, who returned to Hogwarts, glad to be back home after enduring two months of summer holidays with his abusive father.

'_If this is what happened to Potter, I won't let them get away with it_,' he resolved, looking up, startled, when the boy began to thrash around and speak in his dream.

"No Uncle, please don't. I promise I'll be good," he mumbled, pleadingly, before he let out a pitiful moan.

Severus sat on the edge of the bed and carefully shook the boy's shoulder. The fact that the child unconsciously flinched back at his gentle touch only confirmed his suspicions.

"Mr. Potter," he said in a soft voice, "wake up. It's only a nightmare; your uncle is not here."

HP

Harry woke up by the professor's words. '_Thank Merlin_,' he thought, anxiously taking in his surroundings. '_It's only Snape, not Uncle Vernon_.'

"Mr. Potter, what happened to your back?" the professor suddenly asked, causing Harry to look at the teacher in shock.

"Nothing," he replied, terrified. "Professor, do we have to stay here? I want to go home."

"They want to keep you under observation until they have the results from your blood tests," the professor explained. "While you were asleep, the doctor informed me that they have administered your blood to your cousin and that he will be all right. You saved his life. However, since you fainted after donating blood and are running a fever, they kept you here."

"Will they find out, sir?" Harry only asked, not realising what he admitted to his teacher by the seemingly harmless question.

"I suppose so," Snape replied thoughtfully, taking in Harry's panicked expression.

"Professor, can you just apparate us back to Hogwarts please?" Harry asked, giving the older wizard a pleading look.

"Very well," Snape agreed surprisingly easily. He pulled out a silver chain from under his robes. "Give me your hand," he demanded, prying Harry's left hand around the pendant of a lynx, before he mumbled something that Harry could not understand.

An instant later, they found themselves in a large room, which Harry recognized as the hospital wing at Hogwarts. The professor led Harry to the bed nearest to Madam Pomfrey's office and motioned him to lie down, before he pulled himself a chair over and sat next to the boy.

"Mr. Potter, before I fetch Madam Pomfrey, I would like to tell you something," he spoke up in his soft, baritone voice, after confirming that no one else was present in the room. "If you ever wish to get away from your abusive relatives, you need to speak about the matter with one of the adults here. I know a lot about child abuse; however, it does not have to be me. I am sure that any of the teachers as well as Madam Pomfrey will be happy to help you and to become your guardian instead of the Dursleys."

Harry looked at the professor in shock. "But I asked Professor Dumbledore last year and the year before if I could stay at Hogwarts over the summer, and he said it was impossible," he replied, only to add in a barely audible voice, "I'd do everything to be allowed to remain here."

The Potions Master smirked. "Very well; then you only have to decide whom you want to confide in. In the meantime, I'm going to fetch Madam Pomfrey."

"Professor," Harry said quickly, reaching for the man's arm so as to hold him back. "Excuse me, sir, but would it be all right to speak with you?"

"If that's what you want, Mr. Potter," Snape replied in apparent surprise, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

Harry nodded quietly, before he suggested, "Could we speak about it right now and only wake up Madam Pomfrey later on, please?"

The two wizards spent the following hour speaking about Harry's home life. Although Harry had not intended to admit to anyone how the Dursleys used to treat him, the professor managed to make him spill out his secrets with ease.

"Professor, will you please keep quiet about this?" Harry finally asked, pleadingly.

Snape let out a long sigh. "Mr. Potter, I suggest that we tell Madam Pomfrey and the Headmaster about it. Madam Pomfrey must testify the abuse, and we need Professor Dumbledore's help in order to take your uncle to court. Maybe we'll even need Professor McGonagall's support." Seeing that Harry was barely able to keep his eyes open anymore, he stood up in determination. "I will now fetch Madam Pomfrey for you."

HP

The Headmaster was not pleased to say the least when Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey showed him the Mediwitch's documentation as well as several memories of the abuse that Harry Potter had suffered with his relatives, especially when the Potions Master informed him that they intended to report Vernon Dursley to the Ministry of Magic because of child abuse. Only with the help of the Gryffindor Head they managed to convince the Headmaster to act, and mere two weeks after the night, in which Harry had saved Dudley's life, Vernon Dursley found himself in a trial at the Ministry of Magic.

To Harry's relief, due to the overwhelming evidences that Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape presented, the trial was over very quickly, and Vernon Dursley was convicted to a ten-year stay at the wizarding prison, Azkaban.

Back to Hogwarts, Harry profusely thanked the teachers and was just about to leave the Headmaster's office, from where they had taken the Floo to the Ministry, when Professor Snape called him back.

"Mr. Potter, I believe that we must speak about where you are going to spend your summer holidays in the future," he said in his soft, baritone voice, in which he used to speak to Harry in private. "Or do you want your aunt to remain your guardian?" He queried, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, not if it's evitable," Harry replied quickly, glancing at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore slowly popped a lemon drop into his mouth, before he said thoughtfully, "Actually, it would be better if you returned to your aunt because of the blood wards..." Ignoring the upset expressions on his colleagues' faces, he continued, "However, I understand if you want to choose a new guardian. Is there anyone, whom you'd like to become your guardian?"

Harry anxiously turned his eyes to the Potions Master. "I'd like Professor Snape to become my guardian, sir," he replied slowly, causing the Headmaster and his Deputy to eye him in apparent surprise.

"Are you certain about this, my boy?" Dumbledore asked gently, thoughtfully stroking his long beard. "Don't make any rushed decisions. You can think about the matter and inform me at a later time."

"I am sure, sir," Harry said firmly.

"Severus, will you agree to become Harry's guardian?" Dumbledore queried, looking at the Potions Master, his eyes twinkling with pleasure.

Professor Snape smirked and gave the Headmaster a short nod, before he confirmed, "Very well. Will I need to go and obtain Petunia's signature?"

Dumbledore pleasantly pulled a parchment out of his robe pocket, handing it to his younger colleague. "I already received Mrs. Dursley's signature earlier."

Harry and his new guardian signed the parchment, which automatically rolled up itself and vanished into thin air. '_Now I'll never have to see the Dursleys again_,' Harry thought, inwardly sighing in relief. '_I wonder what Hermione and Ron are going to say about Snape being my new guardian though. Hermione will be happy for me, but Ron won't like it_,' he mused as he left the Headmaster's office.

HP

During the following weeks, Harry realised in relief that even Ron took the matter surprisingly well and tried to get along with the Potions Master for his sake. He soon learned that Professor Snape had been a good choice as his guardian. The professor asked the house-elves to prepare a room for Harry in his private quarters and suggested that Harry should spend some time there every weekend in order for the two of them to get to know each other.

Harry complied, and to his surprise he found out that he enjoyed the time at his new home. The two wizards spent much time talking about the Dursleys, about Harry's mother and her time at Hogwarts, but also about potions. Sometimes, they played Wizard's chess together, and the professor began to teach Harry about Potions, noticing that the boy was very adept at brewing.

HP

It was a few months later that the Slytherin Head strode behind the Gryffindor table at lunchtime and instructed Harry to come to his office right after his last afternoon class. '_What did I do now?_' he wondered the whole afternoon, especially surprised why his guardian wanted to meet in the office instead of in the living room as usual. When he hesitantly entered the Potions Master's office, however, he realised in relief that he seemed to have done nothing wrong.

The professor motioned him to take a seat, before he explained, "This morning, I received a letter from your aunt. Apparently, your blood must have triggered your cousin's magic. Apparently, he was expelled from his school because of doing accidental magic and injuring his fellow classmates several times. Therefore, your aunt wants me to bring Dudley to Hogwarts." Ignoring Harry's gasp, he continued, "Since I am not aware if his magical level exceeds that of a Squib, I don't know if your cousin will be able to attend Hogwarts; however, I believe that I should go and fetch him and ask Professor Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey to thoroughly check his magical levels."

"Professor, may I come with you?" Harry asked in a soft voice, causing his guardian to look at him in surprise.

"Harry, you don't have to do this," he said gently, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

Harry let out a long sigh. "I know, sir; however, I can very well imagine how Dudley must feel now. He grew up hearing from my aunt and uncle that there was no such thing as magic and that I was a freak, and now he ends up a freak like me..." He slowly trailed off.

"You're not a freak, Harry," Severus said reassuringly, raising from his chair. "Very well then, are you ready to leave?"

HP

"Severus, Harry," Petunia greeted them, seemingly surprised at Harry's sight, and in a much friendlier voice than she had used towards Harry ever before. She ushered them inside, and only when they took their seats in the living room, she said, "Thank you for coming, Severus. Will you take Dudley with you?"

After a short discussion, in which the Potions Master explained that he could not promise if Dudley fulfilled the conditions necessary for studying at Hogwarts, the professor motioned the two boys to grip his right arm. "We'll apparate to Hogwarts from here."

"Don't worry, Aunt Petunia. I will look after Dudley. He'll be all right," Harry said solemnly, noticing that his aunt's eyes were swimming in tears.

An instant later, they found themselves near the Apparition border in Hogsmeade.

"What do you see over there?" the Slytherin Head asked Dudley, who had yet to speak with them, pointing towards the castle.

"A huge building," Dudley spoke up in apparent surprise. "Is that Hogwarts?"

"Yes, that's Hogwarts," Harry replied eagerly, his voice laced with pride.

"That's at least something," the professor said, more to himself than to the boys, before he strode towards the castle in his usual fast pace.

Harry and Dudley quietly followed the older wizard. '_Maybe I should talk to him, but I don't know what to say_,' Harry thought, uncertain if his cousin wanted to speak with him at all. '_Probably he is angry because it's my fault that he is what he thinks a freak now_,' he mused, feeling extremely relieved when they reached the entrance doors and his guardian turned towards the Headmaster's office.

HP

Dudley hesitantly accepted the offered lemon drop from the Headmaster, while Harry politely declined.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, my dear boy," Dumbledore greeted the boy. "We are glad to have you here, and I'm sure Harry will be very happy as well. First of all, I believe, we have to get you sorted into one of our Houses."

Harry eyed the Sorting Hat with interest. '_I wonder where Dudley is going to be sorted_,' he mused. '_He is not courageous, so he won't fit into Gryffindor. Ravenclaw is out of course; maybe Slytherin? Or Hufflepuff? No, I don't think so_.'

HP

At the same time, Dudley felt extremely annoyed when the Headmaster placed an old, filthy piece of cloth on his head. '_Completely stupid, these freaks_,' he thought, looking up in shock when he heard an unexpected response to his thought.

'_Ah, what am I going to do with you? You don't really fit anywhere_,' a small voice spoke straight into his mind. '_Well, I can see some outright foolishness, so..._' Just when Dudley noticed in relief that the voice had stopped talking, it said aloud "Gryffindor."

Harry let out a surprised gasp, causing the Potions Master to smirk, while Dumbledore knelt in front of the fireplace and called his Deputy, who stepped out of the fireplace an instant later.

"Even if Mr. Dursley has been sorted into Gryffindor," the Headmaster began to speak after introducing Professor McGonagall to Dudley, "I suggest that Professor Snape becomes his magical guardian, since Harry is already his ward and because it was Professor Snape, whom Mrs. Dursley called to help her son. Does everyone agree?"

Dudley looked from one to the other and finally shrugged. '_Better than the old witch_,' he thought. '_She looks very strict_.' He looked up with a mixture of surprise and appreciation, when Harry spoke up. "That would be great," he said in a soft voice. "Dudley, Professor Snape is a wonderful guardian."

Dudley vaguely nodded, wondering why Harry behaved how he did. The thought '_He should be holding grudges against me, considering how I used to treat him_' crossed his mind.

"Minerva, Severus, what are we going to do with Mr. Dursley? Will he have to attend the first year classes from the beginning of the new school year onwards, or do you think you could teach him during the holidays, so that he could possibly attend classes together with Harry and his friends?" the Headmaster suddenly asked, bringing Dudley back to reality.

"I will help as well, Professors," Harry was the first to reply.

"It is worth a try," Professor Snape said thoughtfully, and to Dudley's relief Professor McGonagall agreed.

'_That will be a lot of work, but still better than being stuck with first years_,' Dudley thought, feeling very much comforted when his Head of House informed him that an additional bed was going to be added to Harry's dormitory, so that they could stay together.

HP

During the last few weeks of the school year, Dudley followed Harry to his classes, where he either listened to the teachers' explanations or read in the first year books, which he had borrowed from his cousin.

"As soon as the holidays begin, we'll go and buy a wand for you," Professor Snape promised the boy.

With mixed feelings Harry escorted his friends to the Hogwarts Express on the first day of the summer holidays. On the one hand, he was very happy to be able to remain at Hogwarts over the summer, but on the other hand, he was slightly worried if he would be able to get along with Dudley. So far, Dudley had behaved surprisingly civically and not tried to ridicule or bully Harry at all. '_However, will he still do so when we're alone without my friends?_' Harry wondered.

To his relief, the Potions Master did not give Dudley much space for nonsense and set up a very tight study plan for him. After Harry had finished his own summer assignments, he joined Dudley in his classes and helped him to practise the spells. He also brewed all the potions that the Potions Master assigned Dudley together with his cousin, once again noticing that Severus could explain much better than he usually did in class.

HP

At first Dudley had been incredibly angry at Harry, who had infested him with his freakishness. However, he realised soon that Harry helped him a lot at Hogwarts in spite of the way how he had always terrorized his cousin in the past.

He was also relieved that he did not have to spend the holidays alone with the strict Potions Master, but that Harry stayed with them. Every afternoon, when the professors decided that Dudley had studied enough for the day, Harry showed him more parts of the castle, taught him to play Wizard's chess or took him out on the grounds flying. To his surprise, Dudley enjoyed flying a lot, even if sometimes the thought '_What would father say if he knew? Casting spells would be bad, but flying would probably top everything else_' crossed his mind.

HP

It was a few weeks before the beginning of the new school year that their guardian handed each of them a thin silver necklace. "These pendants," he explained, pointing to the two pendants in form of lynxes, which resembled his own, "are charmed. When any of you is in danger, the other's pendant will heat up as will mine. If the pendant alerts me that you're in peril, I only have to grip it with my hand and will be taken to you within an instant. Please keep these necklaces around your necks at all times. No one except for yourselves will be able to see them when you're wearing them."

HP

It was exactly a year after Dudley had first set a foot into Hogwarts that he suddenly felt the pendant become very hot on his chest. He was just sitting on the Hogwarts grounds, next to Ron Weasley, and watched the third task of the Triwizard tournament, eagerly waiting for Harry or one of the other champions to return from the labyrinth.

He pulled the necklace out from under his robes. '_Harry is in danger_,' he realised and, without further thinking, firmly grabbed the pendant. A mere instant later, he felt a strange pull behind his navel, before the world turned black. Before he could even begin to panic, he found himself next to Harry on what seemed to be a graveyard. His eyes fell on a fat, small man, who was just trying to cut Harry's arm.

"Leave my cousin in peace," he shouted, forcefully kicking the stranger in the shins.

Together with Harry he observed how Peter Pettigrew was thrown backwards, and a package was flung from his arms, landing with a loud splash in a small pond. Pettigrew hit his head on the bolder and was knocked unconscious. Dudley, seeing that Harry was tied to a gravestone, took out his pocket knife and cut Harry free. Harry immediately jumped on Pettigrew and searched him until he found his wand. All the while, the small package had submerged in the pond. It had ceased to move and no longer emitted bubbles. Looking around, Harry said to Dudley, "Let's get out of here."

Dudley kicked Pettigrew's unconscious form in the ribs, before they used the Portkey cup to return to Hogwarts.

**The End**


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